by Steven G. Atkinson or take a short side trip to visit our advertisers.
Acronym: DNIS
DNIS – Dialed Number Identification Service
This telecommunications feature delivers the telephone number that the caller dialed to the answering point. It’s a common feature used with 800 numbers. It can work by passing touch-tones digits or data information to equipment on the receiving end and can display the called number to an answering clerk, or equipment used by the clerk. This will allow the call-taker who answers several different numbers to answer with a greeting designed for the dialed number.
Controlling your wireless costs
Many businesses cringe when they open the invoice for their wireless service. It sometimes seems as if controlling these costs are a never ending game. But there quick items to look at to help control those cost.
Are you paying replacement insurance?
If you are should you?
Replacement of a cellphone or other wireless product can be expensive. A question that need to be asked is; How many phones do you have? If you have a few, it may be a valuable cost. If you have quantity of phones then the added cost of the replacement plans may be greater than the costs of replacements.
One way to determined whether it’s a waste is to take an inventory of how many replacements you made in the past 2 years. Determined what it would have cost to replaced those phones and and compare it to the cost of the insurance. If the Replacement cost would have been less than the insurance. You didn’t need the insurance.
How are you using your minutes?
Do you regularly use more minutes than you have on your plan?
It may be easier to purchase the all inclusive unlimited plan, but for most this is much more than needed and just making a couple of minor adjustments and reductions may save a bunch of money. Also if you are using more minutes than you have on your plan even if it’s only a few times a year, moving to the next higher plan could save you a few dollars.
Are you paying for extras that aren’t being used?
Being able to make or receive a text message is great, but are you paying for a texting plan, but not using it. Most carriers have an reasonable rate for single messages. Are you using a lot of text messages that are billed at message rates? Add a texting plan.
The only way to know for sure is to study your bills, or have an expert review the invoices. It should be done each month. After reviewing them for a perioed of time, a year period is good, you’ll see the trends on how the phones are being used.
© 2006-2009 Steven G. Atkinson – All rights reserved
Can I use my cell phone in my car?
Cell phones are a valuable way of conducting business, but at the same time they have raised a lot of issues involving safety. Some states have passed laws prohibiting talking on a cell phone while driving without using a hands free device those include California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Some cities and counties may have restrictions.
Whether it’s legal or not, doesn’t it really depends on you on whether you use the phone while driving or not?
Do you feel comfortable driving while talking?
If it diverts your attention from driving, the best action would be to pull to the side of the road and bring your conversation to an end before continuing your travels. This also may be best if you are traveling in areas where cellphone coverage may not be at it’s best.
Then again there may be liability issues. If an employee has an auto accident and harms someone while making a work-related cell phone call, the employer as well as the employee may be found liable. Lawsuits have been filed around the nation and companies have settled before going to court.
Then there’s texting.
My suggestion and recommendation is that it is never a good idea to be texting or text messaging while driving. This is especially true to sending text messages, but also includes reading an incoming text. While you are reading the text your attention is being diverted from the main focus of driving and as we have seen in insurance companies ads lately, they come unexpectedly.
If you are one that feels as if it’s Ok to use cell phone while in their car the following safety guidelines may help:
• Get to know your phone and its features, such as speed dial and redial.
• Always dial while the car isn’t moving.
• Never use the phone in heavy traffic or bad weather.
• Use speed dialing as much as possible.
• Use a hands-free phone.
• Never look up phone numbers while driving.
• Never have stressful conversations while driving.
• Keep your eyes on the road while on the phone.
• Do not take notes while driving.
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Steven G. Atkinson is the author of the book Technology Tips for Small Business. The book offers over 55 informational tips to assist the small business owner or office manager better understand the technology they use every day.
Hello! I’m sorry; I can’t talk right now I’m at a funeral.
It seems that when it comes to talking on their cellphone people think it’s their right to talk and use it wherever or whenever they want. But most times if you look around and think about where you are, whom you are with, or what is happening, you’d think twice about using the phone. In fact maybe you’d even think that having it turned on is not proper.
For example one day I was standing at a graveyard ceremony during a funeral and my cellphone started ringing. Fortunately it was a ring, and not one of those musical ring tones. I had thought I had turned it off before entering the funeral home, which is what I would normally have done. I obviously hadn’t. The phone ringing at that place and time was one of my most embarrassing moments.
There needs to be some cellphone etiquette. There are places where you really should turn the cellphone off, such as when you are attending a funeral or going to church. Do you really need to have your ringing or vibrating phone while you are trying to woo a prospective client?
And there are those places where you should have the phone on vibrate, which in my mind is almost anytime that you aren’t either in your own home or office.
There are places where you really don’t need to be talking on the phone, such as in a movie theatre or even at a table in a restaurant. There’s usually a lobby area where you can take an important call. Although at times I do wonder how important that call may be. It seems as if no one any more can make a decision and anything without picking up a cell phone and placing a call. “Honey, I’m at the grocery store and would you rather me get beans instead of tomatoes, the tomatoes don’t look very good.”
How many have turned to the fellow next to you, who you thought might have been asking you a question, only to discover he is deep in conversation on his cell phone.
I guess the one good thing is now if you are walking down the street talking to yourself, people will think you are just on the phone.
Term: Meta Tag
Meta Tag
This is a HTML element that can provide information about the web page. At one time these tags were highly used by search engines, however abuses in the use of some of these tags has decreased their importance. It still is recommended that the Title and Description Meta tags should be used.
Things to Know About Web Sites
1) Have one.
It’s been said here as well as many other places, every business should have some type of Web presence. For some they may not want or need a full featured site but just a listing with the basic Who you are, What items or services you provide, Where you operate and How to contact.
2) Content is the most important element in a website.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an ever changing environment and no one other than those developing the Search Engines know the formula to getting to the top. There are basic steps to making a Web site friendly to search engines such as adding description and some key words to meta tags and giving each page an accurate title based on this. Having the correct content is key. Content is text since Search Engines do not see text within graphics.
3) Keep your website up-to-date.
Nothing will turn off a viewer more than a Web site that has old and out dated information. Making changes to your Web site not only gives returning visitors a reason to come back, it gives Search Engines a reason review your pages.
4) Expensive doesn’t make it good.
Every Web site developer has their own idea of what makes a good site. Some think that the flasher the better while others may think a plain black on white site is good enough. Your Web site is part of your company image and should relate that image to the visitors.
5) A Web site is part of the Marketing Plan.
Do you have marketing materials? It’s not a bad idea to base a site on these materials so that you have a common visual element to your customers. If a potential client has a piece of printed advertising and the Web site is vastly different than the printed material, that possible customer may think they’ve gone to some one else. When printed materials have a drastic change it’s also time to change the Web site.
6) They will not come unless they know about it.
Too many times businesses will create a Web site and then let it sit idle. Place the Web address in all marketing materials including the business card, the invoice, letter head and envelopes.
Acronym: MPOP
MPOP – Minimum Point of Presence.
I’ve also seen it listed as Minimum Point of Penetration. This is the point where a telecommunication provider will deliver their service. In most residential services this point is outside of the house at a NID (Network Interface Device)., Many times in Multi-family complexes such as apartments it may be in a common building service closet. For commercial buildings it’s a point inside the building, usually within 15 to 20 feet from an external wall.
Wherever it’s located it serves as the demarcation point between the carrier and the customer.
Do They Know Your Web Address?
A few years ago the question was, “Do I need a website?” While there was a time it was considered an added feature, in today’s business climate, it should be considered a necessity.
The question today should be; ‘Do they know my website’s out there?’
Anyone who goes under the impression, “build it and they will come” is mistaken. It seems as if everyone has a website and there are thousands being built each day. If no one knows it’s there, no one will go to it.
A simple search engine search won’t always get get results. There are so many sites that are being parked with the sole purpose of generating an income through Internet marketing, using marketing tools such as Google’s adsense, that many times the top listings of a search are these pages. Your business site may not show up until the 3rd or lower page. Don’t be taken by SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketers who claim they can take your site to the top of searches. While there are SEO practices that can help, one of these is to have good and reliable content, many of these SEO marketers will not give you a good or clear return on investment
One of the things that you can do to generate traffic is while you are marketing your business also market you website. Would you put out marketing materials without your address or telephone number? Consider our website address just as important as your telephone number and address. In some cases it may even be more important.
Be sure that the website appears on all marketing literature and business promotions. It should be in the same font and size as the telephone number. Do not make it smaller or stick it in a corner. Larger and Bold could actually be better.
Don’t forget to have the web address on your business cards, brochures, letterhead and even the envelopes.
Mention the address whenever you can. If you say your business name, follow it with your website address. A website address, especially one that is derived from your business name, is easier to remember than a telephone number.
As important as having your website listed in off-line marketing, it’s also important to use it whenever you can on-line. Yes people may be visiting your website, but it’s not a bad idea to have the web address listed on each page. You’ll never know when someone might print the page and pass it along to another.
If you are active in on-line discussion groups, even if they aren’t related to your core business, list your website in the signature line. While groups may not allow advertising in a discussion, many do not consider adding the web address in your signature line as a problem.
And most of all, don’t forget to add it to your email signature.
The more places the address appears the more likely it’ll be for someone to be able to find you.
© 2007-2009 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved
Term: Multiplexing
The process of combining a number of individual channels into a common stream for transmission.
What Will You Be Watching on June 12th
This is not a trick question advertising a special TV show, but the simple fact that June 12, 2009 is the date that over the air television will stop broadcasting the analog TV signals, that have been in use since the beginning of television, and start broadcasting completely in digital.
There has been many rumors about the switch, including that you needed to replace your old set with a new HDTV or that you needed to move to cable or satellite television. Both of these are fiction. All that you need to be able to watch digital TV on you old set is a digital tuner, also known as a converter box. And if your TV already comes to you by either cable or satellite and don’t use over the air, an antenna, you don’t need to do anything.
Another misconception is that Digital TV is Hi-Def TV. While many channels are in Hi-Def, digital TV is simply a broadcast format in which the signal is digital. Watching digital TV on an older tube set is not Hi-Def, even if the channel is being broadcast in Hi-Def. The older set can only scan a maximum of 480 horizontal lines. Hi-Def scans either 720 or 1080. But if you have a HDTV you will be able to see those over the air Hi-Def channels for free. Many channels will have more than one program giving you more channels.
There is a possibly that even with the converter box, you still may not be able to watch digital. Unlike analog TV you will either get the channel crystal clear or not get it at all. Weak channels that you can watch now, will not longer be picked up.
For those who have been watching Digital TV during the conversion process will need to rescan after the switch. Some channel have been using temporary frequencies and will be moving to other frequencies on June 12th.
One thing for certain, anyone with an analog TV will simply be watching a whole lot of snow on June 13th unless they have made the conversion to digital and June 12th will be the end of era.
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Also published on 6 Things To Consider – 6ThingsToConsider.com